On Sunday, March 24th, A-RU Japanese Restaurant in Buellton will host its annual Asian dinner to raise funds to support the services Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (PHP) furnishes to vineyard and farm workers.

The gourmet dinner will include six courses, with each course paired with a specially selected wine from PHP’s 2012 Vino de Sueños collection. The Vino de Sueños wines are produced and donated by local premium wineries, specially labeled with reproductions of donated original art works, and sold by PHP to raise funds for services to vineyard and farm workers. The wines to be showcased this year were first released this past November at PHP’s 5th annual Vino de Sueños Wine Release Celebration. Most of these wines sold out at the release but select wines were reserved for the upcoming wine dinner.

This is the fifth annual wine dinner hosted by Jina Bae, Chef of A-RU Japanese Restaurant in Buellton. The event has sold out the prior four years and according to Vino de Sueños Committee Chair and PHP Board President, Becky Barieau, tickets are expected to sell out quickly again this year. “This is an extremely popular event with many guests returning each year,” she said. “Chef Bae tops herself each year and no one wants to miss out on what unique courses she will serve.”

Each year, Chef Bae creates a new menu for the true connoisseur of Asian cuisine. Each course is specifically prepared to be paired with wines specially selected from People Helping People’s Vino de Sueños label.

Chef Bae said that she enjoys the challenge of creating a menu around the Vino de Sueños wines. “Pairing Asian foods with wine is not an easy task,” she said. “However, we work with local Vino de Sueños winemakers to test pairings and the results have received praise from our guests, including some exceptionally well-known vintners, who keep returning for the event,” she added.

A-RU Japanese Restaurant is located at 225 McMurray Road in Buellton. The dinner will begin at 5 P.M. on March 24th and costs $125 per person all inclusive of food, wine, tax and tip. For reservations or more information, please call Fahim at 686-0295 or go to www.syvphp.org/events to reserve and purchase tickets for the dinner. Since seating is limited to only 50, payments must be received by March 17, 2013 to retain reservations.

Celebrating its 20th year of service, People Helping People is a certified 501 c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of men, women and children in the Santa Ynez Valley, Los Alamos and immediate environs by addressing emergency and basic needs and furnishing comprehensive integrated family and individual support services. To learn more about PHP, its programs, and ways that you can help, please visit the PHP web site at www.syvphp.org or call 686-0295.

A-RU Restaurant

On Sunday, March 24th, A-RU Japanese Restaurant in Buellton will host its annual Asian dinner to raise funds to support the services Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (PHP).

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